Keep Your Joints Healthy and Recover Faster After Injury

It’s a new year and that means fitness goals galore. As you jump back
into action, pay attention to your joints, especially the body’s
largest joint, the knee.

As we get older, the lubrication and cartilage
diminish in the joint and cause friction resulting in painful
inflammation. Possible injury and the need for surgery increase with age
and activity if we don’t keep our joint health on track.

Exercise and good nutrition are critical to joint health. Omega-3s
may help slow inflammation in the body, and vitamin C supports the production of collagen. New
research is now inviting vitamin D to the joint health party.

Knee Injury
Getting an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury is just like
having your knee age 30 years, according to one medical study.

Other
studies show that people with previous ACL injuries commonly develop
arthritis of the knee as early as five years after their ACLs are
repaired – which means that in addition to the immediate pain and
disability caused by the injury, you’re more likely to have arthritis
down the road and you may require further surgery, such as a total knee
replacement.

What causes those problems? Weakness in the quadriceps(muscles of the front thigh), or the group
of four large muscles at the front of the thigh, contributes to
arthritis of the knee. So does surgery to the meniscus and other
factors.

New Research
But there may be a solution – and it may be as easy as supplementing
vitamin D. Data from a large-scale study had found an association with
low levels of low vitamin D and being more likely to have joint
problems, including ACL injuries and arthritis of the knee.

That’s
potentially important because vitamin D is an essential micronutrient
that regulates inflammatory events, skeletal muscle size and function
and bone health.

Research done by the Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (TOSH) in Salt
Lake City showed that low levels of vitamin D slowed the recovery of the
muscle strength after damage, which could be big news for those who
suffer from osteoarthritis.

Although more research is needed, the
implications are becoming more clear: joint health is likely enhanced by
a healthy diet rich in a variety of micronutrients including vitamin D.

Eating a healthy diet could help people maintain an active lifestyle,
avoid knee problems and even increase their longevity.

Research into the influence of vitamin D on the knee is continuing.
We know vitamin D is an important factor in a patient’s recovery after
an orthopedic procedure. As we learn more about why vitamin D levels
decrease after surgery, we can more easily identify ways to manage that
decrease and improve the recovery of patients across the nation.